Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 104151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 104151 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 521(@200wpm)___ 417(@250wpm)___ 347(@300wpm)
She stopped, and I let go of her, but she didn’t face me.
“You can’t go to Nashville,” I repeated softer.
She sniffled. “Why not?”
“Because it’s not on the way to Colorado. And we’re going to Colorado. If I have to pick you up in Nashville, it will throw off our whole trip. Josh will get unruly, asking when we’re going to be there. I’ll have to buy twice the amount of snacks. It’s just not going to work. I’m sorry.”
She didn’t speak or move. And as much as I wanted her to look at me, I knew I needed to earn everything.
“It doesn’t make sense for my heart to live in Nashville and yours to live in Colorado. They should just … live together.” I stepped in front of her.
She made no attempt to wipe her eyes or hide her tears.
“I’m scared that this won’t work, but I’m terrified that it will work and I’m too damn stupid to take a chance on us. But I think”—I framed her face in my hands, and she blinked more tears—“if I’m doing the math correctly, and I let my heart love you as much as it’s dying to love you, then you’ll never want for more than me, my messy son, and that needy dog.”
Her hands covered mine and she closed her eyes. I leaned down to kiss her, stopping a breath from her lips. She opened her eyes, and I smiled.
But before I could kiss her, she said, “I’ll think about it.”
If I wasn’t already frozen from the wind and flurries, her comment did it. Just as my heart began to sink into the bottom of my stomach, her lips twitched, and she rolled them between her teeth.
Was she hiding a grin?
I narrowed my eyes. “Are you—”
“Just kiss me like you do, so I can go home and pout before packing my things for Colorado.”
“Evil,” I whispered before kissing her.
I heard the door close in the distance, and I knew her sisters were watching us. It didn’t matter. I still kissed her hard because I never wanted to hide my feelings for her again.
When I released her, I managed a straight face. “Go pack your bags and be pissed off that you fell in love with a nerd who had to do the math before he discovered that you in his life added up to infinity.”
A triumphant smile hijacked her face. “You’re so square, Mr. Collins.”
“More like a cube, an ice cube.” I turned and took several steps toward my house before glancing over my shoulder. “I love you, lady in red.” I winked and continued to the porch just as Gabby and Sarah descended the stairs and Josh peeked through the partially ajar door.
“Ladies,” I gave them a smile and polite nod as I passed them. “Merry Christmas.”
Josh stepped back as I stomped my boots on the mat and stepped inside.
Behind me, I heard high-pitched squeals, and it made me smile.
“Merry Christmas,” my brother said after Josh answered the phone and talked his ear off for over ten minutes before handing it to me.
“Merry Christmas,” I replied.
“Merry Christmas,” my parents and Anne yelled in the background.
I sat in my recliner and chuckled.
“Are you packed?” he asked.
“Pretty much. We’ll finish up a few things tomorrow and pick Adam up from the airport. Then we’ll head out the following day.”
“Have you made amends with Peter?”
I scratched my chin. “Define amends.”
“Kyle, he’s my best friend. I can’t have my brother and my best friend at odds. It’s going to take him a while to feel friendly toward you again, and that’s understandable. But you need to extend a sincere apology.”
“For falling in love with his daughter or for taking her to Colorado with me? Maybe both?”
Silence filled the line between us.
“I love her, Fred. So does Josh. And her age isn’t enough of a reason not to be with her. So if I can push past all the crap I’ve been carrying around over Melinda abandoning us, then you and Peter and everyone else should be able to show a little support.”
“Kyle, she’s not just eighteen. She’s a recovering alcoholic. What are you going to do when she falls off the wagon and steals a few cans of beer from your fridge while she’s alone with Josh?”
“I’m not going to have beer in my fridge.”
He laughed. “So you’re done drinking?”
“Yes,” I said without hesitation.
“What happens if she gets it someplace else?”
I sighed. “What happens if she gets desperate and drinks half a bottle of mouthwash or a whole bottle of vanilla extract? What happens if I fall out of another tree and break my back? What happens if Josh gets bit by a snake? We can what-if forever. And I won’t have the answers for everything. But it doesn’t mean I won’t figure it out. I love her. And I will do whatever it takes to give her the best chance at maintaining sobriety. And if she falls off the wagon, I will pick her up and be the first to get her the help she needs. As soon as we get to Colorado, I’ll find a place for her to attend meetings. We’ll go to church every Sunday. What more can I possibly say or do?”